Art is the Solution

Happy April Fools’ Day! To celebrate the silliest holiday, I’ve decided to share some of the weirdest and most bizarre paintings I’ve encountered in the history of art.   Truth Coming Out of Her Well Source: Wikimedia Commons 1. Truth Coming Out of Her Well by Jean-Léon Gérôme All of the paintings I’m going to talk about today are weird; however, I have to say that this painting is particularly strange. Truth Coming Out of Her Well is an allegorical paintings that depicts truth as a naked woman climbing out of a well. The piece is based on a quote from the philosopher Democritus: "Of truth we know nothing, for truth is in a well." In Gérôme’s vision of the saying, Truth carries a whip “to chastise mankind.” The image of a naked woman climbing out of a well is pretty absurd on its own, but her ridiculous expression is what really makes this painting so goofy. I mean, look at that face, it’s so memeable! Saint Lucy Source: Wikimedia Commons 2. Saint Lucy by Domenico Beccafumi ...

For the last day of religious art week, I want to focus on one of the most common subjects in Christian artistic tradition: The Annunciation. This term refers to a passage from the Gospel of Luke that describes the angel Gabriel coming to the Virgin Mary to tell her that she will give birth to the son of God and his name will be Jesus: And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. Luke 1:26-31 In art,...

Adoration of the Mystic Lamb Source: Google Arts and Culture The Ghent Altarpiece  is probably one of the most famous and most valuable pieces of art in the world. This fifteenth-century polyptych contains twelve panels; the upper register depicts Christ flanked by the Virgin Mary, Saint John the Baptist, choirs of angels, and Adam and Eve. The bottom panels show a gathering of pilgrims and saints worshipping the Lamb of God. Over its long history, the altarpiece has become known as one of the “most stolen” pieces of art ever. According to my research , the altarpiece has been stolen or attacked at least four times. Most recently, The Ghent Altarpiece  was stolen by the Nazis during World War II. Fortunately, it was recovered in the famous Altaussee salt mine—a storehouse of stolen Nazi art—towards the end of the war. Today, the piece resides in a thirty million Euro, custom-built, climate-controlled case of bulletproof glass. One could write an entire book about Th...

The Taking of Christ Source: Wikimedia Commons Baroque painter Caravaggio is famous for his religious paintings. While Caravaggio himself was well-known for his temper and his devil-may-care attitude, his greatest works depict scenes from the life of Christ and the saints. One of his greatest masterpieces, The Taking of Christ , depicts Christ’s arrest in the garden after being betrayed by Judas: While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived. With him was a large crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests and the elders of the people. Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: “The one I kiss is the man; arrest him.” Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed him. Jesus replied, “Do what you came for, friend.” Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him. - Matthew 26:47-50 In The Taking of Christ , Caravaggio captures the moment that Judas kisses Christ. To the left, Saint John cries out in alarm while ...

The Conversion of Saint Paul Source: Wikimedia Commons Of all the artistic movements and styles, Mannerism has produced some of the strangest and most interesting paintings in Western art. Mannerist artists rejected Renaissance realism in favor of a more artificial and creative style. Parmigianino, one of the most famous Mannerist painters, is perhaps best known for The Madonna with the Long Neck , a painting of the Virgin Mary with a bizarrely long neck. However, today we’re taking a look at another Parmigianino painting with a religious subject: The Conversion of Saint Paul . The subject of the piece is the conversion of Saint Paul. Saint Paul, known as Saul at this point in his life, was involved in persecuting early Christians until he experienced a miraculous conversion on the road to Damascus. Parmigianino captures the moment that Paul begins to follow Christ, which is described in The Acts of the Apostles: And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the discip...

The Deposition from the Cross Source: Wikimedia Commons The Descent from the Cross is one of the most popular subjects in Christian art. It’s no exaggeration to say that nearly every "Old Master" painted at least one image of Christ’s body being removed from the Cross, and it’s easy to understand why the subject was so popular. In addition to its theological significance, the Descent from the Cross offers painters the opportunity to show their skill in creating emotional and visually dramatic art. There are many fine and interesting depictions of the Descent from the Cross in the Western artistic canon. However, Pontormo’s version, entitled The Deposition from the Cross , stands out. Pontormo, an Italian painter, was a member of the Mannerist movement, and it certainly shows in this painting. The piece depicts a crowd of pastel-clad mourners carrying the body of Christ and supporting the Virgin Mary, who is swooning at the sight of her son’s dead body. It is a strange approac...

Saint Eulalia Source: Wikimedia Commons Upon first glance, it may be hard to believe that John William Waterhouse’s Saint Eulalia depicts a Christian martyr. It is an extremely strange painting. The foreshortened, half-naked body of a young woman dominates the foreground while the middle ground—usually used to portray the main action of the piece—is empty. A group of onlookers huddles in the background while snow falls gently on the strange scene. The subject of this unconventional painting is the death of Eulalia of Mérida, a fourth-century Christian martyr from Spain. According to my research , Eulalia was persecuted because of her belief in Christianity and because she insulted the Roman gods. Eulalia, who was twelve to fourteen-years-old at the time, was sentenced to death by the local Roman governor. She was tortured and suffered a gruesome and excruciating martyrdom. Despite her pain, she taunted her torturers, and, when she died, a dove flew out of her mouth, a miracle that sym...

The Light of the World Source: Keble College I’ve decided that this week is going to be religious art week on this blog. For seven days, I’ll be highlighting pieces of interesting religious art from the Western world. To kick things off, I want to take a look at one of the most popular devotional paintings in Victorian England: The Light of the World by William Holman Hunt. Hunt was a member of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood; like all the members of this group, he sought to express “genuine ideas” and serious subjects through his art. For Hunt, this often meant executing religious works, such as The Light of the World . The painting depicts Christ standing in an autumnal landscape; he stands in front of a wooden door with his hand raised to knock. The scene illustrates a verse from the Book of Revelation: Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. - Revelation 3:20 The verse is an ...

The Lovers Source: Arthive To celebrate Valentine’s Day, I want to share a rather strange image of romantic love: The Lovers by René Magritte. Magritte was a Surrealist artist who is well known for his bizarre and witty paintings. While he typically painted in a Realistic style, Magritte’s work challenges viewers by placing everyday objects in strange contexts. The contradictions in his art force viewers to examine their understanding of the world around them. Famously, Magritte noted that he wanted to “make the most everyday objects shriek aloud” in his work. This desire to make the familiar unfamiliar can be seen in The Lovers . The painting depicts a close-up of a kissing couple. Bizarrely, cloth covers the heads of the two lovers, completely shrouding their faces. In many ways, The Lovers is a conventional scene; however, the hidden faces make the painting strange and disconcerting. Like many of Magritte’s paintings, The Lovers subverts the viewer’s expectations. The idea of ...

Trust Me Source: Arthive In the era before television and movies, visual art filled a unique role in society as both a source of entertainment and a medium for social and political statements. Thus, people in the Victorian age expected paintings to tell a story. Art could entertain or instruct or impart a religious message, but it nearly always contained some kind of narrative. John Everett Millais’ 1862 painting Trust Me is an excellent example of this aspect of nineteenth century art. The painting depicts a young woman and an older man, presumably a father and daughter, standing together in a breakfast room. The woman holds a letter behind her back while her father reaches out to take it from her. Although the daughter’s face is calm and impassive—not offering any hint to the contents of the letter—the father’s expression is stern and disapproving There is obvious tension in this scene, but the substance of the interaction is unclear. Contemporary newspapers that reported on The Roya...

The Two Princes Edward and Richard in the Tower Source: Wikimedia Commons When King Edward IV of England died in 1483, his two young sons found themselves in a difficult position. Although Edward IV’s oldest son should have become Edward V, the late king’s brother, Richard, Duke of Gloucester, imprisoned his two nephews in the Tower of London and declared himself King Richard III. What happened next is up for debate; however, young King Edward V and his brother Prince Richard never left the Tower again. It is assumed that the boys, aged twelve and nine, were either murdered for political reasons or fell ill and died. Shakespeare memorialized the story of the children in his famous play Richard III . The story of the princes in the Tower is one of the most famous and tragic mysteries in the history of England. To this day, historians speculate about the fate of the two young boys and the identity of their (assumed) murderer. In the seventeenth century, two child-sized skeletons were fou...

The Black Brunswicker Source: Wikimedia Commons English artist John Everett Millais is known for his dramatic art, but few paintings in his oeuvre tell a more heart-wrenching story than The Black Brunswicker . The piece depicts a young soldier and his sweetheart saying their goodbyes as he prepares to depart for battle. The title of the painting refers to the Black Brunswickers, a corp of German soldiers who became famous for bravery and sacrifice at the Battle of Waterloo. In the painting, The soldier pulls the door open, trying to leave, while the woman pushes it shut. A framed picture of Napoleon hangs in the background, illuminating the source of their conflict. The painting highlights the pain of separation. Almost all the Brunswickers were killed during the battle, suggesting that the couple in the painting might be parting for the final time. It is an emotional scene that is accentuated by Millais’ use of color. The soldier’s black uniform contrasts strongly with the lady’s whit...

The Vale of Rest Source: Wikimedia Commons For day two of John Everett Millais week, I want to take a look at a more staid, contemplative piece of art: The Vale of Rest . The title of this piece comes from composer Felix Mendelssohn's song Ruhetal , which translates to restful valley in German. Like Mendelssohn's song—which discusses the narrator’s final resting-place—Millais’ painting explores the theme of death. The piece depicts a graveyard at twilight. Two nuns are present, one is vigorously digging a grave, while the other woman sits on a headstone. Her face is turned toward the viewer, and her expression conveys pain and sadness. There is no sign of what they are burying or exhuming, but the nun’s anguished face and the skull on her rosary beads clearly signals death. Two wreaths rest next to the sitting nun, another sign that a funeral may be about to take place. A low wall surrounds the graveyard, and the belfry of a chapel can be seen in the distance. A purply, golden ...